CVS Health beat fourth-quarter earnings forecasts, but its long-term care business took a $2.2-billion hit out of the company's performance, and its initial 2019 forecast was weaker than expected.
CEO Larry Merlo said in a prepared statement that 2019 would be "a year of transition" as the company integrates the health insurer Aetna, which it purchased in a roughly $69 billion deal last year. A federal judge is still evaluating the acquisition. Earnings adjusted for one-time items totaled $2.14 per share, as revenue jumped more than 12 per cent to $54.24 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $2.09 per share and $54.61 billion in revenue.